Deep In The Heart Of Texas
by kphillips
Summary: Scully and Mulder head down to Texas to check out mysterious happenings at a Top Secret govt test facility. What they find not only presents danger to them but makes them reexamine their relationship with each other and the X-files. COMPLETED!Please R
1. Part One

Deep In The Heart Of Texas by Katie Phillips  
  
Disclaimer Info: I know I don't own them and I really do appreciate CC letting me play with them from time to time. Spoilers: None really Rating: PG-13 possibly R in later sections Summary: Scully and Mulder head down to a remote part of Texas to investigate some strange occurrences at the research facility. This story is more or less an X-file with a touch of MSR thrown in for you shippers out there. Feedback: I would love to hear what you think. Email me at xfstories@yahoo.com Archive: I will take care of Ephemeral and Gossamer. Anywhere else is fine with me just let me know. My stories pout if I don't visit them.  
  
XXX  
  
Chapter One  
  
Scully picked at her salad wondering to herself why she had chosen the tuna over the grilled chicken while she listened, barely, to her partner drone on about some sort of research facility in Texas.  
  
They had been in this situation enough times, her listening and him rambling on about some great government conspiracy, that she knew exactly when she had to really start listening. Hearing Mulder say the words 'just waiting for approval' had Scully jerking her head up.  
  
"Mulder, are you trying to tell me that we are flying down to. . ."  
  
"Texas" Mulder supplied helpfully  
  
"Thank you" Scully said a bit embarrassed at being caught not paying full attention. She started again. "Mulder, are we actually going to be flying down to Texas to check out this mysterious facility of yours?"  
  
It was getting close to the end of the week and Scully was looking forward to a relaxing weekend where her biggest responsibility would be doing her laundry.  
  
"Come on Scully, I can't believe you don't find this fascinating. Practically everyone associated with this particular research facility seems to have disappeared."  
  
"Maybe they didn't like the climate" Scully said through a mouthful of tuna. "Didn't you say that the weather was especially hot and dry in that area of Texas?"  
  
Mulder smiled at her. "I did say that, but I didn't think you were paying attention when I said it."  
  
Scully felt embarrassed again. She should have known that Mulder would know instantly if he didn't have her full attention. "Why do you say that?"  
  
Mulder smiled again. "I can always tell when you are not really paying attention Scully because you don't try to tear my ideas to shreds."  
  
"Maybe I was just trying to be polite" Scully said a bit coyly knowing she had been caught.  
  
"That'll be the day" Mulder said snapping off the projector and perching himself on the side of her desk. "Scully over 100 people worked in that facility. None of them or their families living in the small town within the confines of the facility has been heard from in weeks."  
  
"Who reported them missing?" Scully said offering Mulder the remainder of her salad which he took without thinking about it.  
  
"You should have gotten the chicken Scully" Mulder said after the first bite. Scully glared at him at bit but then smiled. He continued.  
  
"Family members began to make missing person reports about a week ago to the local authorities. They took one look at the case and decided to call us."  
  
"Aren't we lucky?" Scully said sipping her iced tea. "And of course you assume that this particular facility is involved in some sort of government testing?"  
  
"Oh, I know it is. The Gunmen have been watching this place for years suspecting it of producing some sort of biological weapon."  
  
"Are we assuming they are using alien technology?"  
  
Mulder gave her a puzzled look. "Why would I think that Scully?"  
  
He waited until she frowned at him and then smiled himself. "I have no idea what kind of technology they are using - I am hoping we can find out."  
  
Scully sighed knowing that her relaxing weekend would have to be postponed - again.  
  
"When do we leave Mulder?" she said tossing her empty bottle into the trash.  
  
"As soon as Skinner gives his approval. I imagine either late tomorrow or early the next day."  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Fort Benjamin, Texas  
  
It had taken them three airplanes and four hours in a rental car to reach Fort Benjamin, Texas. It was a tiny town that immediately brought to mind imagines of the rolling tumbleweeds and old time Western movies.  
  
They pulled up to the Dew-Drop-Inn and Scully smiled despite herself. She was used to staying in small inexpensive establishments, but this was the first one that advertised a bucking bronco in it's bar.  
  
Mulder saw the picture of a cowboy on the bronco as he got out of the car and turned to Scully. "Five bucks says I can't get you on that"  
  
"Make it twenty and I will think about it" Scully said raising her eyebrows at him and going into the small office to check on their rooms. She appeared a few minutes later waving two keys in front of her.  
  
She handed one key to Mulder. "We have rooms next to each other and the man behind the desk told me that the ribs at Mae's down the street shouldn't be missed."  
  
"Ribs? Scully, did you say ribs?" Mulder glanced at his watch. It was almost five and they hadn't eaten since before noon. "I don't know about you Scully but I am starving" he said as he unloaded the bags from the trunk of the car.  
  
"Mulder, you're always starving" Scully said picking up her bag and following Mulder into the building wondering why they always managed to end up on the second floor of these places.  
  
"But I must admit I am pretty hungry too."  
  
"Good" Mulder said putting his bag down and sticking his key into his door. "How about we meet up in 45 minutes?"  
  
Scully nodded her approval and opened up her door. The smell of stale cigarette smoke hit her almost immediately.  
  
"Yuck" she said making a pinched face and going over to the window to open it. Luckily, she was used to such situations and had taken to carrying not only air freshener in her bag but scented candles as well.  
  
Scully quickly unpacked her clothes, lit some candles and headed for the shower. The hot water did much to rid her of the grime of travel.  
  
By the time she was done, she not only felt better but her room was starting to smell more of lavender and less of cigarettes. She chose a simple dark blue blouse and jeans and was just slipping on her boots when there was a subtle knock on the door.  
  
She opened it to find Mulder standing in front of her. His slightly damp hair proof that he had also removed the signs of travel in the shower.  
  
Mulder walked in and sniffed loudly raising his eyebrows at Scully while doing so. "Scented candles Scully? Are you trying to tell me that you would rather stay in and order room service tonight?"  
  
Scully rolled her eyes at him. "Like this place would have room service Mulder."  
  
"I could pick up some ribs and bring them back if you like" Mulder teased as she went to pick up her purse.  
  
"Mulder, what would you do if I actually said 'yes' to one of your little proposals?" Scully said walking past him onto the balcony that ran the entire length of the motel.  
  
"Well, first I would probably pass out from shock and then I would probably get down on my knees and thank God" Mulder said half seriously.  
  
"Now that is something I would like to see" Scully said under her breath as she locked the door.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Mae's lived up to its reputation. The ribs were out of this world. Mulder ate a full rack with little problem and even Scully, who normally ate like a bird, plowed through a huge plateful of pulled pork.  
  
Scully smiled content. Mulder could be a real pain-in-the-neck, but it was times like these, watching him eat with the gusto of a teenager while all the while babbling on about some bizarre theory, that Scully realized just how much she enjoyed his company.  
  
For some unknown reason, both Scully and Mulder opted not to discuss the case and its many implications. Instead they chatted about frivolous things such as whether or not Walter Skinner realized that his assistant Kim had quite a crush on him and the most recent antics of the Lone Gunmen.  
  
Mulder didn't know whether or not it was the casual conversation or the local beer Scully was drinking, but she appeared to be relaxed. It was nice to see. Dana Scully didn't let down her guard very often and Mulder was determined to make the most of it.  
  
When the waitress returned to see if they wanted dessert, Mulder saw Scully's eyes grow huge at the description of the house specialty of warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and homemade hot fudge sauce.  
  
Scully's promptly ordered her usual coffee and while ignoring the glare he received from Scully, Mulder ordered the chocolate cake with extra whipped cream and two forks.  
  
"Mulder" she said trying very hard to look serious "You know I don't eat sweets"  
  
"Come on Scully" he said grinning at her "You know you want it."  
  
She attempted to glare at him but ended up smiling at him instead. "Mulder, sometimes I think that you are a bad influence on me."  
  
Mulder laughed at this. "Scully, if this is the most trouble I get you into on this trip consider yourself lucky."  
  
The dessert arrived and after one bite Scully was very happy that her partner had disregarded her wishes.  
  
"Mulder" she said with her mouth half full "This may be even better than sex. Not that I would really remember." She muttered as an afterthought.  
  
Mulder stopped chewing and stared at her. This was the most insight he had gotten into her personal life, what little there was of it, in a long, long time.  
  
"Really Scully?" Mulder said after he regained his composure. "Makes me wonder about the men with whom you have associated. I don't mean to brag, but I would like to think that most of the women I have slept with would choose me over a plate of cake."  
  
"It's not just cake" Scully said teasing him "It's warm chocolate cake with homemade hot fudge sauce."  
  
Mulder rolled his eyes. He was going to make a comment about the different ways one could use homemade hot fudge but decided against it. "I guess I will never figure out women."  
  
Scully laughed and took another bite of cake.  
  
After they finished their dessert and coffee they decided to call it a night. Mulder walked Scully to her door and watched her unlock it but before she could enter her room he stopped her.  
  
"Scully" he said sounding a bit shy "Tonight was a lot of fun. It was nice having you as my date for the evening."  
  
Scully turned to look at him but said nothing. He continued.  
  
"Do you think maybe sometime we could go on a real one?"  
  
Scully looked at her nervous partner and smiled. "Maybe."  
  
And with that she entered her room and closed her door.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Fort Benjamin Police Department  
  
Lieutenant Norman greeted Mulder and Scully with great enthusiasm early the next morning. He was a good looking man with dark hair and blue eyes who had a smile that would melt most women's hearts.  
  
It definitely warmed Scully's.  
  
"Agents, I am afraid I don't have a lot to give you on this one." Norman said and he offered them a seat in his spacious office. "We have got a list about a mile long of relatives who haven't heard from their loved ones working or living on the facility grounds in over a month."  
  
"Have you gone out to the facility yourself Lieutenant?" Scully said.  
  
"No Agent Scully we haven't?" He saw Scully's puzzled look and he flashed her one of his dazzling smiles. "I know it would seem the most logical first step, but unfortunately the facility has been placed under quarantine."  
  
"Quarantine? For what?" Mulder asked trying to ignore the way Norman was looking at Scully.  
  
"To tell you the truth Agent Mulder, I don't know." Norman said sounding a frustrated. "We have been trying for the last week to find out but haven't gotten too far."  
  
"Let me guess" Mulder said dryly "the information is classified."  
  
"Yes Sir" Norman said. "We were hoping that you being Federal Agents and all that you would be able to find out for us."  
  
"Unfortunately Lt. Norman" Scully said "I have a feeling that whoever is running that facility will not want us knowing either."  
  
"So I guess that means our hands are tied." Norman said sounding quite disappointed.  
  
"Not necessarily." Mulder said "I have some contacts that might be able to give us some insight into what is going on out there."  
  
He got up and poured himself another coffee after silently asking Scully if she wanted another cup. "In the meantime, I would like to speak to some of the people on your list and perhaps take a drive out to see where the facility is located."  
  
Norman was curious as to why Mulder wanted to go out there but decided that he was probably better off not knowing.  
  
"Certainly Agent Mulder, you can take my copy of the list and I will have someone write up directions to get you out to the facilities main entrance. I assume you and your partner would rather go out there alone."  
  
Mulder nodded appreciating the fact that Norman wasn't about to pry about any possible illegal activities he and Scully may perform. Despite the fact that he had been eyeing Scully, Mulder liked Norman.  
  
"Thank you very much Lieutenant" Scully said getting up and offering her hand to him. He shook it and dazzled her with another smile.  
  
"Believe me Agent Scully, it was a pleasure. If you need anything, anything at all, just give me a call."  
  
Mulder tried hard not to roll his eyes as he followed Scully out of Norman's office. They paused only long enough to get the directions and then headed out to their car.  
  
"That was unbelievable" Mulder said as soon as they were on the road.  
  
"What, about the quarantine?" Scully said looking at him.  
  
"No, I mean the way Lieutenant Norman was flirting with you." He said trying not to sound like a jealous boyfriend.  
  
"I don't know what you are talking about Mulder" Scully said although she had to admit that she did like getting noticed by a good looking man.  
  
She was eager to chance the subject. "What are we going to do first, talk to the witnesses, call in the Lone Gunmen or perform a little breaking and entering?"  
  
This comment achieved it desired effect by distracting Mulder, at least temporarily, off the subject of Lt. Norman.  
  
"Why Scully, are you implying that I would break the law?"  
  
"Never Mulder, I am implying that you will bend it quite severely."  
  
This comment got a brief chuckle out of Mulder. "I think we should go back to the hotel and while you are setting up meetings with some of these families, I will get on the horn to the Lone Gunmen and see what they can find out about this quarantined government facility for us."  
  
Chapter Five  
  
An hour and a half later, Mulder and Scully were sitting in the living room of Angela Jones.  
  
"Thank you for taking the time to see us Ms. Jones" Scully began after politely refusing an offer of coffee. "Can you tell us a little bit about your daughter and her association with the government facility outside Fort Benjamin."  
  
Angela Jones was a short, stout woman who was probably in her mid fifties. She had bright blue eyes and thick gray hair.  
  
"Cassie has been working down there for nearly three years now" she began. "She studied chemical research at Yale and the government recruited her to become one of their researchers."  
  
"Do you have any idea what kind of research she was doing?" Mulder asked gently.  
  
"Oh no, Cassie was never allowed to talk about it. All she said was that it was something that would help protect us all someday. I figured it out it had to be some sort of vaccine against disease." Angela replied.  
  
"Or aliens" Mulder thought to himself.  
  
Scully gave him a knowing look. "When was the last time you heard from your daughter Ms. Jones?"  
  
"It has been close to a month now. That is why I am so worried. Cassie usually calls me every Sunday after she goes to church from a gas station in Fort Benjamin. She is not allowed to call out from the facility, you know." Angela said. "Too much of a security risk."  
  
"Did your daughter ever come out to see you?" Scully asked looking sympathetically at Angela.  
  
"Not often" Angela said with a sigh. "Her work became her life. She rarely did anything that wasn't work related. Coming out here would have taken too much time out of her work schedule."  
  
Angela reached into her pocket for a tissue and missed the look Mulder and Scully exchanged. They were all too familiar with how work could consume every aspect of a person's life.  
  
"Cassie, had some vacation time coming. We were going to take a cruise out of Galveston."  
  
Mulder nodded to Scully and they rose to take their leave. "Here is my card Ms. Jones" Mulder said handing her a business card. "It has my cell phone number on it. If you can think of anything else or if we can help you in any way, just call me. Day or night."  
  
Angela simply nodded and stuck the card in her apron pocket.  
  
Back within the safe confines of their car, Scully turned to Mulder "Did you find any similarity between Cassie Jones and us?"  
  
"What, besides the fact that we are incredibly dedicated to our work? No, not really." Mulder knew where this conversation was heading and was taking a stab at diverting it.  
  
It didn't work.  
  
Scully plugged in her seat belt and turned to face him. "You didn't find that you had anything in common with a woman who is so consumed with her work that she can't find a couple of hours a week to visit her mother who lives only 25 minutes away?"  
  
Mulder simply shrugged and started up the car.  
  
"Mulder, do you know how long it's been since I have seen my mother?" Scully said her voice rising just an tad.  
  
"I have no idea Scully, but I have a feeling you are going to tell me" Mulder said resigned to the fact that he was about to receive another 'get a life' lecture.  
  
"Almost a month and she lives only ten minutes from me!" Scully said turning and staring out the window.  
  
"So Scully, do you feel like the conversation with Ms. Jones is going to change your attitude about visiting your mother?" Mulder said just a little too calmly.  
  
"Don't start using that PHD of yours on me Mulder." Scully said coldly.  
  
"Can't help it Scully, it is either that or get into a heated argument with you and I am really not in the mood for that today."  
  
Scully only snorted at this and said nothing.  
  
"Scully, you have a great relationship with your mother and you know it. Your mother isn't at all like Ms. Jones. She doesn't revolve her life around when you will call or when you will stop by to visit."  
  
Scully sighed and turned towards him as he continued. "Your mother survived months alone while your father was out at sea. She is where you get your independent streak, you know."  
  
"That may be true Mulder, but even you must admit that we have no life outside of work and each other."  
  
Scully paused seeing the fleeting look of hurt cross Mulder's face. "It isn't that I don't enjoy your company Mulder. I do, well at least most of the time."  
  
This got a glimmer of a smile out of Mulder. "It is just that I miss dating, socializing, just sitting around the house actually bored. Don't you ever miss any of that Mulder?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Not the way you do Scully." Mulder paused a moment as if he was going to say something else but didn't.  
  
They drove back to town in relative silence each lost in their own thoughts.  
  
Mulder finally broke the silence. "Describe your dream man Scully"  
  
"Excuse me?" Scully said shocked by the question.  
  
"You said you wanted to have a social life and I thought if you told me what you are looking for in a man, I could help you find him." Mulder said plastering an innocent look on his face.  
  
He looked at her expectantly not sure whether or not he wanted to know the answer to his question.  
  
"Okay, but I tell you, you have to tell me. Deal?" Scully said still wary of a trap.  
  
"Deal" Mulder agreed.  
  
"Let me see" Scully began as she stared out through her window. "He would need to be intelligent with a good sense of humor." She stopped and looked at Mulder hoping that would be enough of a description to satisfy him.  
  
It wasn't.  
  
"Go on Scully" he prompted.  
  
"Okay, he would have to understand the bizarre work hours I put in and the fact that I have to travel with my male partner."  
  
"I will be sure to inform him that we always have separate rooms" Mulder said teasingly. "Go on."  
  
Scully gave him a bit of a dirty look. "He would have to appreciate the uniqueness of the cases we handle. You know, not tease me about chasing aliens and fluke monsters."  
  
"No he couldn't do that." Mulder said grinning at her.  
  
"And I guess he would also have to respect my need to be independent while also being there when I needed him. Your turn."  
  
"Let's see. I know you would be disappointed if I didn't say right away that she would have to be attractive"  
  
"Just attractive?" Scully cut in "Not drop dead gorgeous with huge. . ."  
  
Mulder put a hand over her mouth. "Watch your language young lady" he teasingly reprimanded her. "For your information, physical attributes are not what usually draws me to a particular woman. Ow!"  
  
Mulder pulled back his hand and shook it hard trying to get the pain to stop. "Why did you bite me?"  
  
Scully just smiled innocently at him. "Okay, I guess I will take your word about your dream woman not having to look like a Playboy Playmate. What else are you looking for?"  
  
"Brains" Mulder said without hesitation. "I can't stand women who downplay their intelligence and spend all their time just agreeing with everything I have to say."  
  
"Are you saying you like to argue Mulder?" Scully asked.  
  
"No, I am saying that I have no problem discussing various viewpoints"  
  
This comment made Scully chuckle. "No kidding Mulder. What else?"  
  
"Not much except that she would have to be understanding about the work and how my partner is my best friend."  
  
"I am?" Scully said touched.  
  
"Yeah, you are." Mulder said a bit sheepishly.  
  
"Funny you should say that because, well, you know" Scully began too embarrassed to finish.  
  
Mulder turned to her and smiled as he pulled into the Dew-Drop Inn's parking lot. They got out of the car without finishing their conversation. Neither of them realizing that they had described the other perfectly.  
  
Chapter six  
  
Mulder spotted the light on his phone flashing as soon as he walked into the room. He picked it up and immediately called in for his messages. There was only one from Frohike asking him to call his doctor about his test results.  
  
Mulder grabbed his cell phone and began dialing even as he walked over to Scully's room. By the time she had opened her door, he had Langley on the phone.  
  
Scully watched in silence as Mulder held his one-sided conversation. It lasted only a minute but Scully could tell something was wrong just by watching his face while he spoke.  
  
"The guys managed to hack into some satellite images of this area. They were able to compare shots taken six weeks ago with shots taken last week and yesterday." He began looking a bit pale.  
  
Scully said nothing, just waited for him to continue. "The first set of shots showed all sorts of activity in and around the facility. There is one large main building, where I assume the brunt of the research is conducted and about three dozen or so smaller buildings surrounding it."  
  
Mulder sat down on the bed and looked at her his eyes fixing on the mental image in his head. "One of the buildings must be a school or a daycare because it looked like it was surrounded by children playing in some sort of playground."  
  
He stopped then and said nothing he just walked over to Scully's bed and sat down.  
  
"And the most recent shots Mulder?" Scully prompted him. "What did they show?"  
  
Mulder turned and looked at her then his eyes showing incredible sadness. "No signs of life whatsoever."  
  
Scully sighed deeply and let this piece of information sink in. Whatever had happened within the confines of this facility, be it intentional or not, had killed scores of innocent people."  
  
Scully sat down next to him and placed a hand on his arm. She knew Mulder was not only thinking about the children here who had been victims, but another little girl who had been a victim so many years ago.  
  
"Did they know anything about the quarantine?" she said softly.  
  
Mulder turned to her and shook his head. "Not really. The request for the quarantine was one of the last things communicated from there."  
  
"Mulder, do you still want to go in there?" Scully said already knowing the answer.  
  
"How can we not Scully? We owe it to those people in there and their families to find out the truth."  
  
He turned and put his hands on her shoulders turning her to face him. "This is very dangerous Scully. I can't ask you to go in there, afterall you have family and. . . "  
  
Scully put a finger to his lips to silence him. "Mulder, I am your partner. If you go in, I go in. Whatever is in there, we will face it together."  
  
Mulder looked long and hard at her but finally nodded his head in agreement. "You know Scully, I don't deserve you." He said placing a kiss on her forehead.  
  
"Oh yes you do." She said smiling up at him. "Now you get on your laptop and figure out exactly where we are going to be going tomorrow. I am going to call my mother."  
  
Mulder got off the bed and returned to his room trying not to think about what Scully had left unspoken. She was going to call her mother, just in case.  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Scully had a nice long chat with her mother but managed to keep herself from calling her two brothers by taking a nice long hot bath. The bath water relaxed her and helped her reflect on what she and Mulder would be facing the next day.  
  
She got out of the tub relaxed and set about drawing up a list of things to bring with them into the facility. Properly prepared, she thought that she and Mulder had a pretty good chance of returning unharmed.  
  
Mulder had spent the night either tapping away on his computer or speaking to one or another of the Lone Gunmen. By the time he was done, he had committed to memory the entire layout of the facility and had a good idea of how to disable its security system.  
  
But just to be safe he had told the Gunmen that if they hadn't heard from him in three days to call Lt Norman.  
  
Neither Scully nor Mulder slept well that night. They both got up early and prepared themselves for the day ahead. Scully ran to the small store down the street for a few supplies while Mulder went over his mental map for the 100th time.  
  
Finally they were dressed in their hiking clothes and ready. They thought about waiting for the cover of darkness to make their entrance but figured it would make little difference when they entered if everyone there was indeed dead.  
  
They spoke very little during the car ride. They parked outside the main gates and got out of the car.  
  
Mulder grabbed one of the two backpacks Scully had filled and groaned as he threw it over his shoulder. "What did you put in these things Scully, rocks?"  
  
Scully smiled at him as she picked up her own pack. "Just making sure we are prepared Mulder"  
  
Mulder muttered something about her being the female equivalent to an Eagle Scout as he approached the main gate. Fearing that it might be electrified, he tossed a couple of good sized stones at it. They hit chain links without incident.  
  
Mulder shrugged at Scully. "You don't suppose they left it unlocked?" he said walking over to where the two section of the gate met.  
  
"You wouldn't think so" Scully said as she watched Mulder give one half of the gate a gentle shove. It moved away from him easily.  
  
"What do you know?" Mulder said stepping through and waiting for Scully to join him. "That was a little too easy Scully" he said looking nervously around "I hope it isn't some sort of trap."  
  
Scully was relieved to find that there was no trap. Even so, she couldn't quite shake the feeling of dread that was taking hold in her as they approached the first of the smaller buildings some 10 minutes later.  
  
It was a small ranch style house built out of stucco. It was surrounded by a large flower garden whose inhabitants were in desperate need of water.  
  
After knocking on the door and hearing no signs of life, Mulder drew out his weapon and pushed the door open. He walked in a stopped dead in his tracts.  
  
Scully was so busy covering his back that she didn't immediately notice that he had stopped and plowed right into him. She went around him to see why he had stopped and her blood went cold.  
  
The small foyer of the house opened up into a family room/living room space. It was brightly decorated in typical Southwestern style including a hand woven woolen rug lying on the floor.  
  
On top of the rug lay a woman about thirty with a small child in her arms. Judging by the grimaces on both of their faces, there death had been neither quick nor painless.  
  
Scully closed her eyes for a second to collect herself and then walked behind Mulder and began to rummage through his backpack removing a small scalpel, a pair of gloves and a collection bag.  
  
"Scully, you aren't going to cut them open here are you?" Mulder said still trying to recover from the scene in front of him.  
  
"Mulder, I don't think they have been dead for too long and in this heat the bodies will not last for long. This may be the only chance we get to see what is going on inside them."  
  
Mulder swallowed hard and then nodded. Scully was right, the temperature outside was almost eighty and it wasn't even ten in the morning yet.  
  
She turned her back towards him. "In my pack there is a small disposable camera. Maybe you should take some pictures."  
  
Mulder quickly found the camera amazed, again, at how thorough his partner was in her preparations.  
  
Scully knelt down beside the mother and after whispering a small prayer to herself for their souls, made a small incision in her chest.  
  
Mulder, not wanting to watch any more than he had to, had begun to wander around the room looking for clues when he heard Scully gasp.  
  
"What is it Scully?" he said rushing back to her side.  
  
She said nothing just pointed to what lay just beneath the surface. The tissue there was so dark it almost looked like soot.  
  
"What is it?" Mulder asked for the second time as he snapped a picture.  
  
"Mulder, if I didn't know better, I would say that this woman had been badly burned." She looked up at him with a mixture of disbelief and fear in her eyes. "From the inside."  
  
"But how can that be?" Mulder said watching Scully scrape a tissue sample into collection bag and quickly label it 'Jane Doe #1'.  
  
"I have no idea Mulder" she said still looking over the body. "Perhaps she was injected with something" she said pointing to a small red mark on the woman's arm. "This could be where she was given the injection."  
  
Mulder left Scully to take a few more tissue samples as he walked around the house looking for other victims. He came back carrying two bed sheets and a woman's handbag.  
  
Scully searched the bag for identification as Mulder quietly covered the bodies. Finding the woman's wallet she opened it, removed her driver's license and put it in the front pocket of Mulder's backpack.  
  
"Why do I think we will be collecting a lot of those today Scully?" Mulder asked when she was through.  
  
Scully smiled weakly at him. "Come on Mulder".  
  
They walked by another half a dozen houses before reaching the main facility. Everyone was empty except for the remains of the occupants many of whom reeked of decay.  
  
In each house Scully collected tissue samples while Mulder searched for identification and something with which to cover the bodies.  
  
It was getting close to twelve when they reached the main entrance of the building that housed the research facilities. They paused to remove their backpacks which they hid behind a tree removing from them only what they thought they would need inside.  
  
"Ready?" Mulder said looking at Scully.  
  
She nodded and they walked through the large glass doors.  
  
The room into which they walked was a small lobby with some sort of information desk sitting directly opposite of the doors. Scully walked over to it and peered over the counter quickly spotting the body of a uniformed guard.  
  
She sighed and turned to Mulder gesturing to the two hallways on either side of the lobby. He nodded silently and held up ten fingers indicating to Scully that they would meet back in the lobby in ten minutes.  
  
Scully barely nodded her acknowledgement as she drew out her weapon and proceeded down the left hallway.  
  
The hallway was completely dark. Even the emergency lights were out. She pulled a flashlight from her pocket and snapped it on.  
  
The hallway was long and very dark with no openings for quite a while. Finally she spotted a door and gently jiggled the handle. It was unlocked.  
  
Opening the door she found herself in what appeared to be some sort of examination room complete with paper-covered table and blood pressure machine. What made this room different from her own doctor's office was the presence of the body curled up in a fetal position along the back wall.  
  
Scully jumped a bit when the beam of light from her flashlight hit the body. It wasn't so much the fact that there was a body in the room, she had expected that, it was because the look on the victim's face depicted both pain and terror.  
  
She shut the door murmuring a silent prayer that she and Mulder would not experience the same fate.  
  
As she continued down the hallway, Scully became somewhat aware of a slight humming sound. The sound of machinery somewhere deep within the facility. Perhaps evidence that someone was still alive somewhere inside this building.  
  
Scully was tempted to follow the sounds but knew that her ten minutes were nearly up. If she didn't return on time, Mulder would panic.  
  
She reached the lobby and was surprised to find Mulder not there. Scully sighed assuming that Mulder had lost track of time the way he always did and decided to search the security officer's desk for any possible clues to the source of the sounds she had heard.  
  
Scully was shuffling through papers with her back to the lobby when she heard the sounds of footsteps. She was about to say 'Mulder' but the word got caught in her throat when she realized who was standing only a few feet away from her.  
  
Alex Krycek.  
  
End of part one. Comments anyone?  
  
End of part one . do you like it, let me know! 


	2. Part Two

Deep In The Heart Of Texas Part Two By Katie Phillips Disclaimer Information located in Part One  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
"Hello Agent Scully" Krycek said smiling slightly at her shocked expression.  
  
Scully immediately felt for her weapon forgetting that she had placed in on the desk behind her.  
  
"No need for that Dana" Krycek said raising his own weapon and causing Scully to freeze in her tracks.  
  
"What are you doing here Krycek?" Scully said after pulling herself together.  
  
"You see all of this?" Krycek began motioning to the building around him "This is one of my little pet projects."  
  
"What exactly is your pet project?" Scully said hoping to stall Krycek until Mulder returned.  
  
"Oh just a little biological weapon our shadow government has been developing." Krycek said motioning with his gun for her to step away from the desk. "If you would like, I will give you the grand tour."  
  
Krycek grabbed Scully's arm and began to force her down the right hallway. They walked in silence for several minutes. Scully kept expecting them to run into Mulder, but they didn't.  
  
She was beginning to get worried.  
  
Those worries all disappeared when Krycek opened an unmarked door and unceremoniously pushed her through.  
  
The room in which they were standing was huge and unlike the rest of the building was basked in a bright white light. All around them stood large tanks that reminded Scully of fish tanks except for the fact that they were totally enclosed.  
  
Krycek had let go of her arm and she wandered over to one to take a peek at what was inside. She gasped involuntarily when she realized that what she was looking at was a human body floating in some sort of greenish liquid.  
  
"What are these Krycek?" She said turning to face him "Who are those people?"  
  
Krycek smiled wickedly at her. "To answer your first question Dana, these tanks are where we hold our specimens after they have expired. We don't want their bodies to decompose before we have a chance to examine them properly."  
  
Scully just stared at him. He chuckled at her and continued. "And to answer your second question, the people are test subjects gathered from around the country. We tried to get as varied a sample group as possible."  
  
Scully's eyes got huge at this and her temper began to rise. "What did you do to them Krycek?"  
  
Krycek took her arm again and began leading across the room towards a door on the far wall. They passed by dozens of the specimen containers before he answered her.  
  
"I know this may seem like an act of cruelty to you Dana," he said somewhat seriously "But we are truly trying to help all of mankind."  
  
"By torturing innocent people?" Scully said trying once again unsuccessfully to pull her arm from his grasp.  
  
"We sacrificed a few in hopes to save the world" Krycek said softly.  
  
"Save the world from what?" Scully demanded.  
  
They had reached the far door and Krycek paused to turn the knob and open the door. "Why alien invasion of course?"  
  
Scully was too stunned to move into the room so Krycek gave her a little push. This room resembled a sitting room and Scully assumed it was where the research facility's staff took their breaks.  
  
"I don't understand" Scully said after Krycek gently shoved her onto the couch.  
  
"Dana, how can you have worked for all these years with Fox Mulder and still not get it?" He didn't wait for her answer. "We are expecting an alien invasion to occur sometime within the next twenty years. What is being created here is a biological weapon to be used against them and those of this planet who support them."  
  
"That's impossible. You have no way to do accurate tests" Scully said looking puzzled.  
  
Krycek smiled at her and shook his head not believing how naive she still was.  
  
"Dana, there have been aliens on this planet for decades. We have been lucky enough to have gained the technology from them to make alien hybrids." He smiled again at Scully's skeptical look.  
  
"The process itself is rather simple and can be achieved through a series of injections. In fact, everyone working in or living around the facility has been changed into a hybrid."  
  
"And systematically destroyed." Scully said sighing heavily. She looked at him suspiciously "Why are you telling me all of this?"  
  
Krycek face suddenly became very serious. "Because I want you to join our cause Dana."  
  
"You want me to what?" Scully said getting up and facing Krycek. "You want me to leave Mulder and the X-files and work on ways to destroy people?"  
  
"We are trying to save the world Dana and a woman with your background in medicine and your experience on the X-files. . ."  
  
Scully cut him off. "Krycek the only person you have ever tried to save was yourself."  
  
"True enough most of the time Dana" he said slowly walking towards her making her step backward until she was pushed up against the door. "But I have always had a soft spot for you and I would rather not have to destroy you."  
  
Scully looked up at him and couldn't believe what she saw in his eyes. They were filled with tenderness with just a hint of desire. Krycek spotted the confusion in her eyes and acted swiftly.  
  
Before she knew what hit her, he had pulled her close and was kissing her.  
  
A small part of Scully had always found Krycek attractive the way the most prim and proper girl in high school finds herself drawn to the 'bad boy' of the class. That part of her was trying desperately to respond to his kiss while the rest of her was still in shock.  
  
Krycek must have sensed this conflict for he broke off the kiss and looked down at her smiling, the mischief back in his eyes. "So what do you say Dana?"  
  
"Are you with me or against me?"  
  
Scully said nothing glaring at him through cold eyes.  
  
"Well, you can't blame a guy for trying." He grabbed her arm again and led her towards another door in the room that Scully had assumed was a closet.  
  
She was wrong. He opened it and pushed her through. She stumbled through and froze at the sight of Mulder sitting tied to a chair looking a bit worse for wear.  
  
"Mulder, what happened?" Scully said rushing over to her partner.  
  
"I ran into Alex here just a few minutes after we separated. He was kind enough to escort me here." Mulder said obviously relieved to see that Scully was unhurt.  
  
"I hate to break up this happy little reunion" Krycek said motioning for Scully to take the other chair in the room "But I do have a schedule to keep."  
  
"And what exactly is that?" Mulder asked.  
  
"Oh, I have to make sure that everyone with any association with this facility has been eliminated and then rig it all with explosives so that all evidence of our little project is destroyed."  
  
Krycek took something from his pocket. "Look what I have here" he said holding up a syringe. "The last dose of the serum."  
  
He walked over to where Scully and Mulder were sitting and looked at the two of them. "Would be a pity to waste, it wouldn't it? After all, it works just as well, if not better on humans than it does on hybrids. I believe we have a ninety percent kill rate."  
  
Krycek waved the syringe between the two agents. "So which of you two is going to be the lucky recipient?"  
  
"Me" they both said at the same time making Krycek laugh out loud. "You two are too funny. I guess I will have to choose then won't I?"  
  
He paused a moment and looked at both of them a minute and then smiled. He pulled Scully up to her feet and taking her head between his hands kissed her again. He pulled back from her whispering "If you change your mind let me know."  
  
Krycek began to move towards Mulder with the syringe when Scully attacked him from behind. Not surprised by her actions, he quickly spun and threw her against the nearest wall with all his might.  
  
The last she remembered before she blacked out was saying 'no' over and over again.  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
Mulder struggled to release himself from his bonds as soon as he realized that Scully was going to throw herself at Krycek. Scully may be good at hand to hand combat but she was no match for Alex Krycek.  
  
He winced as he saw Krycek throw her towards the wall and shouted out "Scully" as she collapsed in a heap. He continued his struggles until he saw Krycek straighten out his shirt and reach for the syringe that Scully had managed to knock from his hand.  
  
"Well Fox, I guess you are going to be the lucky recipient" Krycek said walking over to Mulder and adjusting the syringe until a small drop of liquid appeared at its tip.  
  
"Not to worry though, your beloved Scully should be awake in time to watch you die a slow and quite miserable death."  
  
"Let her go Krycek" Mulder hissed through he teeth barely able to pull his eyes away from the sight of her crumpled body. "You know as well as I do that the X-files and everything that goes along with it will die right along with me. She will be no threat to you."  
  
"That may be Fox" Krycek said and he gently tapped the syringe "but don't worry, I don't plan on destroying this facility quite yet. I plan to leave enough time for Dana to leave you behind and escape. But she is going to have to walk. I will make sure to disable your car so she can't take you with her."  
  
Mulder pulled his eyes away from Scully and looked at Krycek "You would let her escape?"  
  
"I have already given her the opportunity to escape with me, but she chose to stay with you. Perhaps you may be able to convince her otherwise. I will give you 24 hours until I blow this entire facility off the face of the Earth."  
  
Mulder nodded his understanding wishing that he had told the Lone Gunmen to look for him earlier. Krycek smiled at him. "You may be still alive then Fox, but believe me, you will be praying for a quick death by then."  
  
Mulder took a deep breath and concentrated on looking at Scully as he felt the needle puncture his skin. His last thought before being overcome by blackness, was of her.  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
Scully's head hurt. A lot. She tried to open her eyes but then immediately shut them when confronted with the bright lights of the room.  
  
She took a couple of deep breaths trying to remember exactly what happened.  
  
Her eyes flew open. "Mulder!" she said as she sat straight up ignoring the pain that threatened to rip her head apart.  
  
Scully looked frantically around the room before spotting him. He had been released from his bounds, but was balled up in a corner of the room mumbling to himself and covered with sweat.  
  
"Mulder" she said again as she forced herself to get up and go over to him. He didn't seem to hear her but jumped at the feel of her touch.  
  
He was burning up. "Mulder, it's me."  
  
Mulder looked up at her with eyes filled with fever. "Go" was all he managed to say to her.  
  
"I am not going without you. Do you think you can walk?"  
  
This question got a wry smile out of Mulder. "Can barely move" he whispered.  
  
Scully nodded her comprehension and said "I will be right back"  
  
She ran out of the room leaving Mulder shivering from fever in the corner. He was relieved to see that she was apparently alright, but didn't have the strength to think much more than that.  
  
Mulder now knew what Krycek meant about praying for a quick death. It had been less than an hour since he had received the injection and already he was praying for the suffering to end. He couldn't even begin to think about what was yet to come.  
  
He heard Scully coming back down the hallway and decided he would focus what strength he still had on getting her to leave him behind and save herself.  
  
Scully burst into the room pushing a wheelchair. Mulder attempted to raise an eyebrow at the sight of it.  
  
"Found this down the hall in one of the other examination rooms. Let's see if we can get you into it." She parked the chair next to his huddled form and reached down to help him up.  
  
Mulder flinched at her touch but said nothing as she tried to lift him to his feet. He was dead weight and much too large to be managed by her.  
  
"Go" he said again when she released him.  
  
"Mulder, I am not leaving you behind. If you want to save me you are going to have to help me save you. Understand?"  
  
Mulder shook his head not because of lack of understanding but because he knew that she really wouldn't leave him.  
  
"Let's try this again, okay? On three. One . . . two . . . three" Scully lifted with all her might but only managed to get Mulder about six inches off the ground.  
  
She stuck to it and was sweating quite heavily herself when, on the fifth try, they managed to get Mulder into the chair.  
  
She smiled despite the fact that Mulder groaned in obvious pain at the contact with the chair. At least she had a way to move him now.  
  
She glanced around the room before leaving and spotted her gun sitting on a small table. She picked it up and examined it quickly. It contained only one bullet.  
  
"Krycek took out all the bullets but one" she said as she placed the gun back in her holster. "I wonder why?"  
  
"That one is for me" Mulder said as he tried desperately to stay awake.  
  
Scully looked puzzled for a moment and then nodded. Krycek had given her a way to end Mulder's suffering. "Isn't he kind?" she muttered to herself and she began to push Mulder down the hall.  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
It took awhile, but Scully finally managed to get Mulder out of the building. She paused for a second to wipe the sweat off of her face and Mulder's.  
  
"What time is it?" Mulder croaked.  
  
Scully looked at her watch. "Close to three, why?"  
  
Mulder took a deep breath trying to summon the strength to speak. "Krycek going to blow this place up in 21 hours. Go!"  
  
Scully stopped pushing the chair and walked around to the front of it so she could face him. Squatting down in front of him she looked him directly in the eye. "I am going to get both of us out of here Mulder. I am going to find you a place in the shade and then head back for the car."  
  
"Car gone" Mulder whispered "He told me that"  
  
"Damn" Scully said. With the car it would have been relatively easy for her to get Mulder out of the facility. Without it even she would have trouble surviving the trip back into town through the desert.  
  
"Okay, give me a minute to think Mulder" Scully said still squatting in front of him.  
  
He reached up and touched her gently. "Take your time. Not going anywhere."  
  
Scully smiled at him and got to her feet. "First order of business is to try and get you out of this heat and way from any explosions." She walked behind the chair and started pushing it.  
  
Scully pushed the chair slowly while chatting away to Mulder about this and that until they had gone past the last house in the facility. In the distance she spotted a relatively large rock formation and started for it.  
  
With a bit of luck, that would be able to provide them with enough protection from whatever Krycek had in mind.  
  
It took her about ten more minutes to reach the rocks and position Mulder in the small bit of shade they provided. "Do you want to stay in the chair?" she asked him.  
  
"No, lie down" he said. His shivering had stopped for the most part but he was getting paler by the minute.  
  
Scully helped him out of the chair and then got up and brushed off her pants. "Mulder, I am going to go look for supplies for us. I'll be back as soon as I can."  
  
Mulder barely nodded and closed his eyes noticing that she had not left the gun with him for protection. Scully was no fool. She wanted to make sure that he didn't sacrifice himself for her.  
  
Chapter eleven  
  
Mulder was awake when Scully returned about an hour later carrying not only both their backpacks but several large blankets.  
  
He couldn't help but smile as he watched her begin to unpack the backpacks and arrange the blankets. Leave it to Scully to come so well prepared.  
  
Scully arranged him so he could sit up against the rocks and offered him some water from one of her water bottles. "I couldn't find any other water besides the four bottles I brought."  
  
Mulder was about to tell her not waste it on him but stopped himself. He knew better so he took small sips as she instructed.  
  
Scully felt his forehead. He was still burning up. She began poking through her pack again and pulled out a small bottle of ibuprofen.  
  
She poured two pills into her hand and gave them to Mulder. "I am not sure if these are going to help but they definitely couldn't hurt." Mulder gave her a weak smile as he swallowed the pills with some difficulty.  
  
Mulder was looking more tired by the minute, so Scully got him settled back into a lying position with his head on her lap and began to stroke his hair until he fell asleep.  
  
Mulder was restless in his sleep, but seemed to calm down whenever she resumed the gentle stroking of his hair. Scully closed her eyes and wracked her brains looking for ways to break Mulder's fever and release him from the grip of Krycek's serum.  
  
Thinking of nothing, she contented herself with just savoring every possible second with him and praying that he would be strong enough to survive.  
  
Darkness fell and Scully removed herself from under Mulder's head and started a small fire. Once the sun had gone down the temperature had dropped dramatically but it was still quite warm. Scully wanted the fire more for its comforting light than its warmth.  
  
She heard Mulder stir behind her and turned to see him struggling to sit up. Perhaps it was the cooler temperatures or even the ibuprofen, but he didn't seem quite so flushed with fever. He still, however, could barely talk above a whisper.  
  
"Hey" she said settling down next to him.  
  
"Hey" he said so softly that Scully had to put her head close to him to hear him "Scully, I don't suppose you will reconsider and leave in the morning."  
  
"Sure, I will consider it" Scully said mockingly "as long as you leave too."  
  
Mulder smiled weakly at her not at all surprised by her answer. "I don't know if I will still be here in the morning Scully."  
  
"Mulder, don't talk like that. We have no idea how the serum will act on you since you have been exposed to not only the black oil but its antidote."  
  
Mulder snorted at this but let her continue. "I have no intention of letting you die."  
  
Mulder snorted again. "You are one stubborn woman Scully, you know that?"  
  
"It's a trait I picked up from my partner. Here, drink so more water" she said opening on of the bottles.  
  
"No Scully, you drink it. The water is just being wasted on me."  
  
Scully said nothing but raised an eyebrow and handled him the bottle. Mulder took a small sip to make her happy then handed the bottle back.  
  
"Are you feeling any better?" Scully said feeling his forehead with the back of her hand.  
  
"You know when I was little, my mother always checked to see if I had a fever by kissing me." Mulder said looking at Scully and smiling.  
  
Scully smiled back and planted a small kiss on his head. He still felt very warm but not as hot as he had during the afternoon. "I think those pills I gave you are keeping your fever down."  
  
Mulder nodded. "I think they are helping too. I don't feel quite so much like my insides are frying any more. But to be honest with you Scully, it feels like my energy is just pouring out of my body."  
  
"Well, then we need to get some back into you, won't we?" Scully said a bit too cheerily.  
  
"And how do you plan to do that?" Mulder said trying his best not to sound too glum.  
  
Scully poked around in her pack some more and pulled out a few things. "You have your choice of one of these granola bars or one of these miniature chocolate bars?"  
  
Mulder broke out into a smile when he saw what was in her hands. The chocolate bars were smaller versions of the Swiss chocolates that Scully only allowed herself on special occasions.  
  
"You must really think I am dying Scully to part with those" Mulder said pointing at the candy. "I think I will take the one in the red wrapper."  
  
Scully put down the rest of the food and unwrapped the bar for Mulder seeing that his hands were trembling quite a bit. She handed the bar which he promptly broke in two.  
  
"Here Scully" Mulder said when she tried to refuse it "I will tolerate you risking your life to stay with me, but I will not torture you by eating this in front of you."  
  
Scully smiled and took the candy. They both stared at each other a moment before popping the chocolate into their mouths.  
  
Mulder closed his eyes and savored the sensation of the chocolate melting over his tongue. Scully watched in fascination. She had never seen Mulder react like this but then again she had never seen him eat what could very well be his last meal.  
  
"That was wonderful Scully" he said looking suddenly tired again. "Thanks"  
  
"My pleasure" Scully said patting her lap for him to lay his head on.  
  
Mulder shook his head at her invitation. "Scully would you do a couple of things for me?" he said looking at her straight in the eye.  
  
"Sure partner, whatever you want." Scully responded worrying to herself that Mulder was beginning to make his dying requests to her.  
  
"First" he began reaching over and cupping her face in his hand "if for some reason that God of yours decides to spare me, would you actually go out on a date with me?"  
  
Scully smiled at him trying hard not to let the tears she felt coming fall.  
  
"Sure Mulder, as long as I get to pick the restaurant."  
  
Mulder smiled at her. "Deal. And the second thing" Mulder looked at her a bit unsure. "Would you mind terribly. . . uh. . . lying with me tonight when I go to sleep? I am not sure I will make it until tomorrow and I would like to spend at least one night in your arms."  
  
Scully felt the tears coming and to keep herself from loosing it totally she simply nodded and stood up to fetch the extra blankets. She folded two of them up as pillows and put one of the ground.  
  
"Which side do you want Mulder? Right or left?" she said after she managed to compose herself.  
  
"The right side is fine with me" Mulder said using what was left of his strength to maneuver himself onto the blanket.  
  
Scully lay with her back to him and Mulder quickly rolled over onto his side and wrapped his arm around her. He was incredibly warm but Scully hardly noticed.  
  
"Thanks Scully" Mulder whispered into her hair.  
  
"For what?" Scully answered still trying to hold back her tears.  
  
"For making me human again" Mulder replied before drifting off to sleep.  
  
It was only then did Scully let the tears come thinking that those would be the last words Mulder would ever say to her.  
  
+++++++  
  
End of part two - comments anyone??? 


	3. Part Three

Chapter Twelve  
  
Lone Gunmen Headquarters  
  
Frohike looked at the most recent satellite images from Texas and he did not like at all what he saw. At all.  
  
"Hey guys" he said calling Langley and Byers over to his computer. "Take a look at this!"  
  
Langley and Byers stood behind Frohike as he enlarged the image on his screen. It showed a cluster of buildings and two small shapes.  
  
"See that?" Frohike said pointing a finger at the two small shapes. "I think that is Mulder and Scully."  
  
"Can't be" Langley said. "Look at the size differential between the two people. Even Scully isn't that short."  
  
Byers stared at the image in front of him. "Frohike, is there any way we can get a better look at what is going on down there?"  
  
"Sure there is, but I have to do some more hacking into the Pentagon's computer."  
  
"I think we should, just in case." Byers said  
  
xxx  
  
Scully couldn't tell if it was the heat or the bright sun that caused her to wake up the following morning. For a moment she just lay there enjoying the feel of a man next to her.  
  
She quickly remembered the man was Mulder and bolted upright anxious to see if he had survived the night.  
  
He had, barely.  
  
Mulder lay practically motionless. The only movement came from his chest as he labored to breath.  
  
Scully quickly checked his pulse and found it to be weaker than it had been the night before. She tried to wake him but the only response she got was a small moan.  
  
Scully managed to get a few drops of water into his mouth and then lay him back on his makeshift bed. She stroked his hair and tried to push the horrible thoughts out of her mind.  
  
Mulder was dying and there was nothing she could do about it.  
  
Scully pushed the thought out of her mind by focusing on what she could do to increase his chances of survival and hers.  
  
The first priority would be to get more water. They only had two bottles left and with the temperature increasing so quickly, those would be gone before noon.  
  
As much as Scully hated to leave Mulder, she knew that she would have to go looking for supplies. She quickly rigged up two of the blankets to provide shade for him and then emptying one of the packs set out.  
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
It took Scully several hours to check out all the buildings in her area of the facility. She found absolutely nothing.  
  
Someone had preceded her and had made very sure that anyone who was lucky enough to survive an injection of the serum died from dehydration or starvation.  
  
Totally discouraged Scully began to return to where she had left Mulder. On a whim, she decided to check out the small laundry facility she was passing.  
  
Her persistence paid off. Inside were two vending machines. One filled with soda and one with junk food.  
  
Scully practically jumped for joy at the sight of them. She quickly broke into the machines and stuffed as much soda, chips and candy into her pack and pockets as she could carry.  
  
Walking back to Mulder she thought that her discovery had to be some kind of omen. Leave it to Mulder to be saved by junk food in the middle of the desert.  
  
Her optimism quickly faded as she approached Mulder. He had not moved a hair since she had left him and the sight of his motionless body filled her with panic and she dropped the things she had been carrying and ran over to him.  
  
Quickly kneeling beside him she felt for a pulse. It was still there but was much weaker.  
  
Scully cradled Mulder's head on her lap and stroked his hair. "Come on Mulder, hang on. Please don't leave me. I can't do this without you."  
  
Scully held Mulder for a long, long time only taking a break on occasion to pour some lukewarm Coke down his throat. She look at her watch as saw that is was getting close to eleven.  
  
In two more hours Krycek would be destroying the facility. Scully pulled her thoughts away from Mulder and tried to think of some way to keep them safe until help arrived.  
  
If it arrived in time.  
  
XXX  
  
It took a while, but Frohike was finally able to hack into the Pentagon's master computer. Minutes later he had the image he was looking for up on the screen.  
  
"Byers, Langley I did it!" he called to his two companions. "Byers was right"  
  
Before them they saw a very blurry image of a man in a wheelchair being pushed by a small woman.  
  
"That has to be them" Langley said "But there seems to be something wrong with Mulder."  
  
Byers studied the picture a moment and then spoke to Frohike. "Is there any way we can zoom out a bit. I want to see if Mulder's car is still there."  
  
"Why do you want to know that?" Langley asked confused.  
  
"To see if they are trapped there of course" said Frohike.  
  
He tapped the keys a few times and the image changed. The buildings had shrunk and Mulder and Scully were no longer visible.  
  
They could see, however, the fence surrounding the facility and the main gate which still remained open. There was no sign of Mulder's car.  
  
Frohike exchanged glances with Byers and Langley. "We had better get on the horn to Skinner about this right away."  
  
"He is not going to be too happy about being woken up at 2:30 in the morning." Byers said dialing the phone "but I suppose having his best two agents killed would put him in an even worse mood."  
  
XXX  
  
Krycek could see them from the small tower that stood in the center of the research facility. Scully had Mulder's head cradled in her lap and she appeared to be rocking him back and forth while crying.  
  
Krycek smirked when he spotted the cans of soda and bags of chips that littered the area that surrounded them. Apparently Scully had found the little surprise he had left for her. After all he wasn't totally without a heart and he had to admit that part of him was rooting for their survival.  
  
The world would be a pretty boring place without Fox Mulder and Dana Scully to torment.  
  
Even so, he had a job to do and not even his bizarre affection for Mulder and Scully would stop him. The timers had been set and he, himself, was preparing to leave well before the explosions went off.  
  
XXX  
  
Scully placed Mulder gently back down on his blanket and stood up assessing her options. The closest building to them was probably two to three hundred feet away. Depending on the type of explosives Krycek was planning on using, they might be alright if she could just manage to get Mulder sheltered behind the large rock that sat behind them.  
  
She frowned and looked at her watch. It was getting close to noon and she knew she wouldn't have much time. She quickly gathered up all their extra supplies and brought them around to the back of the large rock.  
  
That task completed, she then had to figure out a way to move the unconscious and quite large, at least compared to her, man off the ground into the wheel chair and around the rock.  
  
She had barely been able to manage moving him when he was still awake but she had to try.  
  
She straddled Mulder placing one foot on either side of his body and squatted down taking one of his hands in each of hers. His hands felt like fire but she ignored this as she pulled up with all her strength.  
  
Mulder moved up about an inch or so then collapsed back down again.  
  
Scully sighed and tried again. And again. And again.  
  
Seeing that this wasn't going to work she tried again to wake him up. She splashed water on his face.  
  
Nothing.  
  
She poked him.  
  
Nothing.  
  
She shook him.  
  
Nothing.  
  
She straddled him again trying desperately to fight off the tears that were threatening to begin to fall. "Come on Mulder" she said out loud "we have to do this."  
  
She began again to tug on him when suddenly she froze. Next to Mulder's body was the shadow of a man.  
  
She gulped, released Mulder's hands and turned around.  
  
"Are you sure you want to stay with him?" Alex Krycek said looking first at Mulder and then at Scully. "He really doesn't deserve you."  
  
Scully just glared at him wondering why he was standing not two feet away from her.  
  
"I take it since you have chosen not to respond to my question that your mind is made up." Krycek said shaking his head at her.  
  
"I guess I really have no choice then." Scully gasped at this statement wishing that she hadn't let her weapon sitting with her supplies on the other side of the rock.  
  
Krycek took Scully's arm and moved her off of Mulder. She knew she should resist but figured it was pointless. Obviously Krycek had come to finish off the job himself.  
  
He bent over Mulder and placed one hand under each arm. With a large grunt he lifted Mulder up to a more or less standing position.  
  
"Well, don't just stand there Dana" he said looking at her "bring the chair over."  
  
She just stared at him for a second and then seemed to pull herself together. She grabbed the chair and pushed it behind where Krycek was holding Mulder up.  
  
He let go and Mulder collapsed, more or less, in the chair.  
  
Scully continued to stare at Krycek still speechless.  
  
Krycek walked over to her, took her head between his two hands and kissed her. This kiss was so full of passion that it made Scully a bit weak in the knees. Krycek broke off the kiss and dropped his hands.  
  
He said nothing for a moment just gave her a grin. "You owe me one Dana" he said and he turned to leave.  
  
Scully watched in silence as he calmly walked over to a small shed that appeared to be in ruins. Apparently it was not for he entered it and within second reappeared pushing out a small motorbike.  
  
He hopped on the bike, gave her a brief wave and disappeared into a cloud of dust.  
  
Scully looked at her watch. It was quarter to one. She would have to hurry.  
  
Chapter Fourteen  
  
Skinner and the three Lone Gunmen ran off the FBI's charter plane and across the tarmac to the small group of uniformed officers standing there waiting for them.  
  
Lieutenant Norman greeted all three of them.  
  
"Thank you for meeting us here Lieutenant" Skinner said after shaking his hand. "Have you been able to track down Agent Mulder and Scully yet?"  
  
"We are pretty sure they are still on the facility grounds Sir. We have been in contact with the government authorities who run the facility and they have told us that the contamination risk is too high for us to enter the grounds."  
  
Skinner nodded and looked at the three Gunmen. "How long will it take you to confirm this?" he asked ignoring the perplexed looks on the officers' faces.  
  
"Only a few minutes Sir. I just need someplace to plug in my computer." Frohike said.  
  
"We have set up a command post in this hanger Sir" Norman said pointing to a small building behind him. "And we can get a helicopter here in fifteen minutes if need be."  
  
Skinner nodded as he began to walk towards the building. "How long would it take to fly from here to the research facility?"  
  
Norman paused a moment to think. "I imagine we could get there in less than an hour Sir."  
  
Skinner nodded again and looked at his watch. It was about half past twelve.  
  
XXX  
  
It took Scully several minutes to push Mulder around the rock and into the makeshift shelter she had built. Sweat was pouring down her face and she grabbed a warm chocolate bar and crammed it into mouth followed by several large gulps of warm soda.  
  
She was starving.  
  
"You know you will make yourself sick eating that stuff" a weak voice from behind her said.  
  
Scully spun around soda still in her hand and smiled at the sight of Mulder looking at her through eyes clouded by fever.  
  
"Hey" she said putting down the soda and picking up a water bottle. She gave him a sip and he smiled at her.  
  
"How come you get the soda and I have to drink hot water?" He teased fighting to keep his eyes open. Mulder knew that his strength was fading fast and he meant to look at Scully as long as he could before he went out again.  
  
"I know this is a dumb question" Scully said kneeling down in front of him and stroking his face "But how do you feel?"  
  
"Like I have been through the wringer, twice." He raised his hand up to capture hers against his cheek. "Scully, I don't know how much longer I am going to be around" he said and he brought her palm up to his lips and kissed it.  
  
Despite the temperature outside the terror Scully was feeling made her quite cold. His lips were incredibly hot against her skin and she shivered.  
  
Mulder smiled at her reaction. "There is so much I should be saying to you" he said weakly.  
  
"Save your strength Mulder, you can talk my ear off when we get out of here." Scully said trying hard not to cry.  
  
Mulder opened his mouth to disagree with her but thought better of it. "Can I talk you ear off in a candlelit restaurant Scully?" Mulder asked reaching up and pushing a piece of her hair behind her ear. Scully was covered with sweat and dust but looked beautiful to him.  
  
"Mulder" she said swallowing hard to keep her voice from breaking "you can do it any where you like."  
  
Mulder raised an eyebrow at this. "Anywhere Scully? Maybe I do have a reason to live after all."  
  
Scully was about to answer when a huge explosion occurred. The ground shook so hard that Scully worried about the rock behind them breaking into pieces.  
  
She screamed, despite herself, when the second of the explosions came a few seconds later. She buried her head in Mulder's lap and he bent over her trying with the last of his strength to protect her from the pieces of debris that were flying through the air and hitting the ground all around them.  
  
"Goodbye Scully" he whispered.  
  
Chapter Fifteen  
  
Frohike called Skinner over to his computer and motioned to his screen. On it was a memo from a high ranking official in the CIA. Skinner read it quickly and turned away with his face showing nothing but pure rage.  
  
"Get me that helicopter now Lieutenant" he said trying desperately to contain himself.  
  
Norman nodded and got on the phone immediately. "Done Sir" Norman paused before continuing his curiosity overshadowing his better judgment. "May I ask what was in that memo Sir?"  
  
Skinner glared at him for a second and then smiled. He liked Norman. "We never saw that memo Lieutenant. And since we have never seen it, we would never have known that it contained specific instructions to fake the quarantine and to destroy the facility and everyone associated with it."  
  
Norman gasped at this thankful that his men were all outside the hanger preparing for their departure. "Understood Sir. If I understand all of this correctly Sir, you were never here and we never met."  
  
Skinner smiled at him. Yes, he liked Norman a lot.  
  
The helicopter made it to them in less than fifteen minutes. Skinner, Norman and Byers hopped on board with Langley and Frohike staying behind with Norman's men. They would rendezvous later at the hospital in El Paso hopefully with Mulder and Scully.  
  
They were probably still 25 miles away from the facility when Byers spotted the large plumes of smoke. He tapped Skinner on the shoulder and pointed it out to him.  
  
"Damn" Skinner said unable to take his eyes off the smoke.  
  
Norman, Skinner and Byers did not speak after that. Each man was too busy hoping and praying that somehow Mulder and Scully had managed to survive the inferno that lay ahead.  
  
The helicopter circled the facility several times looking for signs of life. They saw nothing besides burning buildings and vehicles. Skinner was about to give up when Norman tapped him on the shoulder and pointed towards a large group of rocks.  
  
Skinner squinted willing himself to see through the smokey haze. There was definitely something there. It appeared to be the remains of some sort of shelter.  
  
He motioned for the helicopter pilot to fly directly over the rock. He was right, it had been a shelter. A meager one that was riddled with holes and surrounded by debris. Among the debris he spotted two backpacks.  
  
"Take her down" he shouted to the pilot.  
  
They landed the helicopter and Skinner and Byers leapt to the ground and ran over to where the backpacks lay. They pulled down what remained of the shelter and stopped dead in their tracks.  
  
In front of them sat Mulder in a wheelchair bent over Scully who had obviously sought shelter in his lap. They were both covered in blood.  
  
Norman, who had lagged behind Skinner and Byers, yelled into his radio "Call the hospital and put them on alert and get the two stretchers over here NOW!"  
  
Skinner closed his eyes as if to gather himself and walked over to Mulder. He touched Mulder's neck and gave a sigh of relief when he found a pulse there although it was very weak and irregular.  
  
He gently pushed Mulder back and took hold of Scully and gently placed her on the ground. It appeared that Mulder had taken the brunt of the damage caused by the debris but Scully had a large gash on her right side. Skinner could see that her light colored t-shirt had turned dark with blood.  
  
Skinner looked around a grabbed what remained of the blankets that sheltered them and immediately tore it into pieces. He bound her wound the best he could and cradled her in his lap as Byers and Norman placed Mulder on the first stretcher and carried him to the waiting helicopter.  
  
Scully moaned slightly and opened her eyes a crack. She smiled weakly when she recognized Skinner but only had the strength to utter one word. "Mulder?"  
  
"We've got him Dana and he is still alive." Scully nodded to show that she understood and then closed her eyes letting the darkness take her.  
  
Chapter Sixteen  
  
Mulder floated in a thick haze. He could hear voices around him, speaking to him and he was tempted to go to them. He also saw a bright light shining off in the distance. The light looked so peaceful and he was incredibly tempted to go to it.  
  
He had to decide which way to go and soon.  
  
XXX  
  
Scully opened her eyes to see Frohike staring down at her. "She's awake" he called over his shoulder before turning his attention towards her. "Good morning beautiful. I am glad that you decided to join us."  
  
Scully smiled at him. "What happened? The last thing I remember is getting pelting by flying debris. I didn't think we would make it."  
  
That statement brought Scully fully awake. She bolted upright in her bed ignoring the many tubes that were running into her arm and the pain that cut through her side. She grabbed Frohike's arm.  
  
"Mulder? Is he. . ." she couldn't bring herself to say the word.  
  
Frohike looked at Scully with such tenderness that she began to panic. Mulder must surely be dead. "He is hanging in there, barely."  
  
Scully sighed and sat back in her bed relaxing just a bit. "Tell me everything Frohike and don't leave out a thing trying to spare me." Her look told Frohike that she meant business.  
  
He settled into the chair by her bed and told her. How they had intercepted a satellite image that looked suspicious so they had disregarded Mulder's instructions to wait and had flown directly out to Texas.  
  
They had taken a helicopter out to the facility which was already burning. They had almost left without finding them but had spotted the shelter she had built behind the rock.  
  
"You and Mulder were in pretty bad shape when we got there." Frohike said looking at her tenderly again. "You were bleeding like a stuck pig, but Skinner bound you up and. . ."  
  
"Skinner, he was there?" Scully said surprised that her boss at come to their rescue.  
  
"Well, not officially of course" Frohike said with a smile. "He has already flown back to DC but yeah he was here and he probably saved your life."  
  
Scully took deep breath and tried to let everything sink it. "And Mulder?"  
  
"He received plenty of lacerations from the flying debris but none of those seem to be life threatening."  
  
"But the serum is" Scully finished for him.  
  
"Possibly. They have given him a complete blood transfusion but his organs have taken quite a beating from the stuff. It is touch and go now."  
  
"I need to see him." Scully said sitting upright in the bed again.  
  
"Scully you can't, you are seriously injured yourself." Frohike said knowing full well that she would ignore his protests.  
  
"That doesn't matter." She pushed the 'call' button on her bed frantically "Don't you see? He needs to know that I am okay. He needs to know that I need him here with me. I have to give him a reason to come back to us."  
  
Byers and Langley had joined them and along with Frohike looked at her quite puzzled. "Do you remember when I was abducted?" she said trying not to loose patience as she pushed the 'call' button again. "Well there was a time when I was in the coma when I had to decide if I was going to come back or go to where it would be peaceful."  
  
The nurse entered the room and Scully quickly explained what she wanted to do. Skinner had anticipated this and had cleared everything with her doctor. Frohike helped her into the chair and he along with the other two walked along with her to Mulder's room.  
  
They paused at the door to let Scully enter alone. She motioned for the nurse to stop for a second. "Mulder is the reason I came back. He wouldn't let me leave him. It's my turn to do the same for him."  
  
She looked up at the nurse and nodded. The nurse positioned her next to Mulder's bed close enough to be able to hold her hand.  
  
"Doctor Scully" the nurse said "I can only give you ten minutes with him and then you will have to get some rest."  
  
Scully nodded slightly as she reached over and took Mulder's hand between her own.  
  
"Mulder, it's me"  
  
XXX  
  
The haze was getting a bit thinner and Mulder felt like he was swimming through thick soup. He began to push towards the surface to the voices that seemed to be discussing his health but then he saw the light again.  
  
It was warm and bright and the mere thought of it filled him with peace. Somehow he knew if he went towards it all his pain would be gone.  
  
He turned towards it and began to swim.  
  
XXX  
  
Scully looked up at Mulder's monitors and noticed that the numbers were beginning to drop. His breathing was getting slower and he blood oxygen level was falling too.  
  
He was trying to head towards the light, she knew it.  
  
"Oh no you don't Mulder" she said loud enough to make the Lone Gunmen standing outside his room raise theirs heads at the sound of her voice. "You are not leaving me. Do you understand me?"  
  
Scully struggled to the edge of her chair and leaned as far as she could over his bed ignoring the fact that her stitches were tearing the flesh of her side.  
  
"I am not going to let you die and leave me all alone Fox Mulder. You have to come back to me. You can't leave me" Scully voice was beginning to falter and her tears ran down her face and splashed on his chest.  
  
"You promised me Mulder. You said you have so much to tell me Mulder. Well, I have a lot to tell you too. You promised me."  
  
When the nurse arrived ten minutes later she found Scully half lying on top of Mulder crying her heart out. She gently got Scully back into her chair and returned her to her room.  
  
There she placed Scully back in bed and disregarded her wishes by injecting her with a strong sedative. Within seconds Scully was asleep.  
  
XXX  
  
He was just about there. A few more strokes and he would be within reach of the light. He could feel the sense of peace already. He was about to enter it when he heard a small voice calling to him and felt a small splash of water hit him.  
  
He stopped to listen. He strained to hear what the voice was saying to him. He looking longingly at the bright light just outside his reach then turned and swam away from it.  
  
XXX  
  
Scully woke several hours feeling like her head was filled with cotton. When she opened her eyes, she saw the figure of a man sitting in the chair next to her.  
  
She tried the best she could to focus but could not. The medicine was pulling her under again.  
  
Seeing that, the man got up and walked over to the bed and bent over and kissed her gently on the forehead.  
  
"I am glad you made it Dana" Alex Krycek whispered in her ear. He kissed her again and turned and walked out the door leaving a large bouquet of roses behind.  
  
Three weeks later  
  
Scully was miserable in more ways than one. Not only did her side hurt her every time she drew a breath, but she had lost her partner.  
  
Not to the killer serum as she first feared but something potentially even worse. Her government.  
  
As soon as it became clear that Mulder would survive, the government had swooped in and taken him off to a research facility somewhere in Colorado for testing. Skinner had assured her, practically every day, that Mulder was safe and sound and that as soon as he was strong enough to resume active duty he would be returned to Washington, the X-files and her.  
  
Scully herself had only returned to work a few days before. She was allowed to work regular business hours as long as she promised to stay out of the field and not perform autopsies until she was cleared by the Bureau doctors.  
  
So Scully sat in their basement office bored stiff and lonely. By four she had enough and had headed for home stopping first by Mulder's apartment to feed his fish and retrieve his mail.  
  
Scully walked into his apartment and noticed immediately that it looked different. She glanced around and spotted two suitcases sitting just inside Mulder's bedroom. She looked around and noticed that his mail had been haphazardly thrown onto the coffee table.  
  
It looked as if Mulder had arrived home, dumped his luggage and immediately had left.  
  
"Damn" Scully said as she threw a pinch of food into the fish tank "he probably went to the office looking for me."  
  
She left as quickly as she could but decided to head home instead of back to the office. Surely Mulder would figure out where she was.  
  
Scully jogged up the front steps into her apartment building immediately regretting it when her side began to hurt. All thoughts regarding her side disappeared when she saw a tall man standing at her door knocking.  
  
She froze in her tracks and just looked at him. He had heard her footsteps and had stopped knocking and turned to look at her.  
  
Before she knew it she was in his arms and he was squeezing her tight. "Ow" Scully said as she pushed him away.  
  
She saw the look of puzzlement followed by one of fear flash across Mulder's face. "My side" she explained as she took his hand and led him to her door. "Didn't they tell you what happened?"  
  
Mulder followed her into his apartment, threw his jacket on a chair and turned to face her. This time he took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Scully, they didn't tell me anything. Not even if you were alive or dead. They dropped me off less than an hour ago. . ."  
  
Scully reached up and stroked his face. "I'm fine, Mulder." She saw him frown at this overused statement "Really, I am Mulder."  
  
Mulder held her in his gaze for a moment longer as if to confirm this fact for himself before releasing her. "Sit down Mulder, I will get us a couple of beers and we'll talk."  
  
She returned with the beers to find Mulder still watching her intently. It was if he took his eyes off of her she would vanish.  
  
"What is it Mulder?" she said gently as she sat beside him on the couch.  
  
"I didn't think I would ever see you again Scully" he said so softly she could barely hear him.  
  
Scully put down her beer and took his head between her two hands and gave him a long kiss on the forehead. "Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"Not right now, but if it is okay with you, I would like to hold you for a while."  
  
Scully raised her eyebrow at this request. "I'll be careful of your side, I promise. I just need to convince myself that you are really okay."  
  
Scully smiled at him and moved over so that she lay back against him. He immediately wrapped his arms around her carefully avoiding her side.  
  
They sat like that without talking for a very long time. Finally Scully broke the silence and turned to face her partner.  
  
"Mulder, why did you come back?" Mulder looked at her realizing that she was not talking about his return from Colorado but his return from the brink of death.  
  
He leaned forward and kissed her ever-so-gently on the lips. "I came back for you Scully." +++++  
  
end of story 


End file.
